Where better place to be than Sydney for Christmas and New Year? We stayed in 5 star luxury about 30 mins outside the centre (well it is Christmas) in a place called Parramatta which apparnatly means "the place where the eels sleep". After checking the room thoroughly and finding no sign of the slippery devils, we settled in quite nicely and set off to book a Christmas Dinner-realizing on Christmas Eve we had left it a little late....however, we stumbled accross the Crowne Plaza offering buffet style, all beer and wine included, Christmas Dinner for a bargain $90! I certainly missed Dads bacon butties but Stephen got his apron on and cooked us a fabulous smoked salmon breakfast. We opened our pressies which involved in general cd's, black sambuca, flip flops, boiled sweeties and a couple of yo-yos.

Sadly, and to Australias great shame and disgrace, there where NO MUSICALS broadcast on TV all day. Devastated, our entertainment was learning how to "walk the dog" with the yoyos and dancing around to Scissors Sisters. We had our Christmas dinner at 6pm, and sat (with Santa hats on) next to the most miserable family possible....they didn't open the free wine or even pull a cracker. Still, we had fun in our own way- drinking as much as we could in the true British spirit!

On Boxing day we got up early to go and watch the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. We managed to get on a steam boat to see all the action, and I was suprised at how good it was to watch all the yachts milling around waiting for the start. At 1pm, a gun fired and they all headed out of the harbour, it was a special sight.

We had a couple of days in the Blue Mountains, I think Stephen has done a journal for that, then returned to Sydders New Years Eve, frantically trying to find the best spot to watch the fireworks from. We ended up at a park called "Mrs McQuaries Point". (We had done the Harbour Bridge Climb a few days before as a kind of reccee as most of the fireworks go off on top of it-when we got to the top there was 3 tonnes of explosives up there!) We bought a throw to sit on and wine and beer and settled in for a long wait.....25000 people in the park! We arrived at 3pm, by 7pm the queues for the loos where 30 minutes long, I have to say why are women so bloody slow at doing their business? Why do they have to make a nest? Toilet paper at these events is a precious commodity!

Anyway, needless to say the fireworks where spectacular, and brought a little tear to my eye as I was overcome with the emotion of another year over, (or it could have just been the Sauvignon Blanc). Got home after a long walk and very busy train ride home about 3.30am- just as most of you guys where getting ready to go out on New Years Eve!

Spent most of New Years Day making some resolutions (of the "I'm never drinking again" kind) then packed the bags for our trip to New Zealand. Healthy living starts here!